With the increasing integration of LSI circuits, the line width in a circuit required for a semiconductor device has become smaller year by year. In order to form a desired circuit pattern on a semiconductor device, a method has been employed in which a highly precise original pattern (which is called a mask, or in particular, a pattern used for a stepper or a scanner also referred to as a reticle) formed on quartz is reduced and transferred onto a wafer by using a reduction projection-type exposure apparatus. The highly precise original pattern is written with an electron beam writing apparatus, and a so-called electron beam lithography technique is used.
For example, a multibeam writing apparatus radiating many beams at a time by using multibeams to improve the throughput has been known as an electron beam writing apparatus. With this multibeam writing apparatus, for example, an electron beam emitted from an electron gun passes through an aperture member having multiple holes, whereby the multibeams are formed, and each beam is controlled to be blanked by a blanking plate (blanking aperture array). A beam that has not been shielded is reduced by an optical system, and the reduced beam is radiated onto a desired position on a mask on which the pattern is to be written.
The blanking plate is provided with a substrate formed with multiple holes, a blanker formed around each hole and deflecting a beam, and a control circuit unit to apply a voltage to the blanker. A calculator converts layout data made by a user into a writing format of a writing apparatus, and generates blanking control data for controlling ON/OFF of each beam. This blanking control data is transferred by the control circuit unit. A deflection voltage based on the transferred blanking control data is applied to the blanker, and the beam is turned ON for a desired period of time.
A transfer error may occur during the transfer processing for transferring the blanking control data performed by the control circuit unit. When the transfer error occurs, ON/OFF of the beam is not correctly controlled, and this reduces the writing precision, which may result in a problem in that a pattern error occurs.